Page 99 of Freshman

She was wrong, so wrong.

All he needed was Nate.

“I won’t abandon him.”

Paralysed in pain, Alfie cheered Nate on, prayed he would be able to convince the woman to take him with them.

“He’s going to die.”

Alfie knew it too, but he didn’t want to die alone.

“This isn’t part of the plan, Nate. He’s not part of our agreement. You’ve got to leave him behind.”

The awareness of Nate faded, and the voices didn’t talk again.

Alfie felt cold, and still, and more terrifying than the pain, he felt alone.

23

Alfie woke with a gasp and blinked in the stark white ceiling. It didn’t have a crack in it like in his living room at home. A blue curtain surrounded him, and to his left, there was a computer monitor, beeping his heart rhythm. The pillowcase under his head rustled noisily as he turned his head to look at the chair beside the bed. The cannula in the back of his hand caught his attention, and he waited to feel the scratch and pinch of skin, but it didn’t come. The chair moved, or the blanket lying on top did, and Tia poked her head out, revealing herself. She gave him a weak smile.

“You’re up?” She gripped the top of her nose. “Not up, but awake.”

“Is…is this the first time?” he croaked and went to move his hand to his throat, but it snagged on the cannula and he hissed at the sharp sting.

Tia scrunched her brow in sympathy. Her hair wasn’t sleek and straight, and the skin under her eyes looked puffy. She yawned, waving her hand. “No, not the first time. You’re usually confused after you sleep.”

Alfie nodded, taking stock of his body. It didn’t hurt, but ached with a strange numbness, like pins and needles, but stronger, all-consuming. It was everywhere.

“So, what happened?”

“What’s happened to your body, or what happened to put you here?”

Alfie frowned. “My body.”

“Three broken ribs and a fracture to your pelvis.”

“I can’t feel it,” Alfie mumbled.

Tia exhaled sadly through her nose. “Trust me, when the painkillers start wearing off, you’ll feel it.”

“How long have I been here?”

“Two days. You asked for me when you woke and managed to tell the nurse my number.” She bowed her head, then lifted it hesitantly. “Do you remember what happened?”

Alfie frowned and sieved through the mash of memories in his head. “We were driving Nate to the cemetery—Is Nate okay? Dave and Mike?”

Tia frowned. “Dave and Mike are mostly all right, few broken ribs, concussed.”

“Nate?”

Tia bit into her lip, then released it with a pop. “Every time you’ve woken up, you’ve asked about him first. You look all panicked—”

“Tia, is he all right?”

“As far as anyone knows, he’s fine.”

Alfie dropped his head back to the pillow. “I don’t understand.”

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